Even though at this point the Thundercats movie is a see-it-to-believe-it kind of deal for longtime fans of the animated series, we’ve never been as close to getting one as we are right now. One of the most important people working on the project is director Adam Wingard, and during a press tour for his new movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, he talked to Collider about the status of the adaptation.

Wingard told our Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub that Thundercats “could be” his next project that comes to life. The filmmaker also revealed at what stage the project is in: “We’re actively working on a draft right now, and it’s cruising forward. It’s super awesome. I’m really excited about it.” The filmmaker added that he “was just talking with Simon [Barrett, screenwriter] about the script,” which prompted Weintraub to ask about the tone of the movie. Will they lean into a more serious approach, or will it be a fun-first thing like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves? Wingard had a response that certainly will make fans happy:

“Well, I think you have to have a little bit of both. You gotta take it seriously. In the cartoon, even though it was definitely for kids, the characters were in a fair amount of danger. I’m definitely still scarred from that one episode where Lion-O’s getting wrapped up in the mummy, the rope, and he’s in the temple. That really messed me up as a kid. But yeah, I think any good adaptation these days is you’ve got to say as true to the source material as possible. That’s what people really want, and that’s sort of our goal. I mean, if you’re doing something that’s beyond being a kid’s cartoon, obviously you have to raise the stakes. So, yeah, it’s got a little bit of both of that.”

Adam Wingard Reveals How ‘Thundercats’ Influenced ‘Godzilla x Kong’

During the interview, Wingard also told Weintraub that even though Thundercats is a future project, you can see that he was already thinking about it in terms of visuals and shots while making Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. He said that, in addition to working on Thundercats, “That film has a lot of inspiration within this Godzilla movie itself.”

Wingard then gave a practical example and referenced a specific moment in the blockbuster: “If you look at the shot, for instance, in the trailer where Kong is blocking Shimo’s breath with the ax, that’s like a direct reference to the opening credit sequence where Lion-O jumps in the frame and holds the sword in front of him.” The filmmaker suggested it couldn’t be any different, since “the ‘80s cartoons, a lot of that was a big, big influence.” He capped the interview off by revealing that “Specifically Thundercats and Masters of the Universe color palette” was a huge influence on Godzilla x Kong, and it’ll be easy to see it.

Thundercats is yet to get a release window revealed. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire premieres this Friday, March 29.

via Collider